Big stage, big show: Colony drama pulls out all the stops for ‘Tarzan the Musical’

PALMER — When the Glenn Massay Theater opened two years ago on the campus of Mat-Su College, the first troupe to grace its stage was the Colony High drama program.

Their 2015 rendition of Shrek put the spacious, modern facility on full display, showing all the facets of live theater suddenly open to the Valley’s vibrant scene.

For the first time since, Colony drama returns to the Massay stage with their elaborate production of Disney’s Tarzan the Musical.

“I think (the stage) brings a lot of energy, but it’s also really intimidating,” said director Dina Sawyer. “There’s all this room to fill out, so it’s a mix of excited-ness, and scared-to-death. All that nervous energy lends itself to a great opening night.”

Headlining the 37-person cast is a pair of actors in the title role, and though both Steven Sutcliffe and Bronson Stewart 15 years old, they’re meant to play Tarzan 10 years apart.

Sutcliffe takes the first half, playing alongside his sister, Rebekah Sutcliffe in the role of Young Terk, Tarzan’s first friend among the apes.

“What I try to do is emulate a 10-year-old kid,” Steven Sutcliffe said. “I try to basically get some of the naiveté of a 10-year-old and emulate that wonder they have about the world.”

A hefty wig helps distinguish Stewart as the older version of Tarzan, but there’s more subtle nuances he looks to highlight in his performance, too.

“Obviously, there’s the hair, but also, he’s more playful and I’m more the serious kind,” Stewart said. “I’m here to do the business; I’m gonna take care of it; I’m grown up now and can feel the weight of the world more on my shoulders.”

Opposite the Tarzans is Rheanon Williams in the role of love interest Jane, with John Bruhaney in the role of Jane’s father, Porter; Ian Duffy as the villain, Clayton; and playing Tarzan’s

adopted gorilla parents, Jessica Rentz and Andrew Cooley as Kala and Kerchak.

Rentz, the ape matriarch who discovers the abandoned human child, and sings Phil Collins’ Oscar-winning “You’ll be in my Heart”.

Anissa Baggett plays Tarzan’s human mother, and is an understudy for Williams in the role of Jane. This was her first foray on stage in years.

“This is my first dramatic production since elementary school,” Baggett said. “I had really bad stage fright — I always struggle with it. Two years ago, I did musical theater with the choir, so when this came up, I said, ‘if you don’t do it, you’ll regret it.’ So I just went for it.”

In this role, Baggett isn’t just on stage, she’s singing onstage, too.

“I love the thrill of it, plus Tarzan is my favorite Disney movie,” she said. “The pressure of the solos is kind of scary, but John (Bruhaney) takes most of it… It’s a very powerful piece, very dramatic.”

The 37 cast members, 21 of them credited as gorillas, share 26 microphones, and between numbers, herds of zebras and giraffes will stride musically alongside the audience on their way to the stage, another of the benefits of playing at the new theater that couldn’t be enjoyed at Colony High.

“It’s been everything I thought it would be and more,” Sutcliffe said. “We’ve done some things I didn’t think we’d be able to do on stage. I used to do shows at Colony Middle School, and that stage isn’t quite this impressive. This gives us more options… the sets are amazing.”

Jamin Burton is the musical director with the orchestra sitting in a much more comfortable pit than they’re used to at CHS, Claire German is in charge of the many and varied costumes that make Tarzan stand out among high school productions.

“This particular show had more intense rehearsals than ever before — three-to-three-and-a-half hour rehearsals since November, and because of that, this is the tightest show we’ve ever done — with three weeks to go, ‘we got this’ and that’s the most amazing thing,” said Brian Mead, director of Colony drama the last 13 years. “This, I think, is exceptional work for high school, and there’s no reason for people not to come out.… We can do it here in the valley; there’s no need to go elsewhere, especially when we have a theater like this.”

Mead said the Colony drama is a self-sustaining program, making a strong turnout on a high-budget show like Tarzan a must.

“It’s really good music, a fun show with lots of energy and the crowd usually doesn’t get to be as much a part of the show as it is with this one,” Sawyer said. “And kids will love it.”

If you go:

Colony High Drama performs Tarzan the Musical

Glenn Massay Theater, Mat-Su College

Feb. 3, 4, 10, and 11 at 7 p.m.

Tarzan can be purchased online athttp://cdrama.booktix.com and range from $10 to $15.

Cast List for Tarzan the Stage Musical

John Bruhaney ………...Father

Anissa Baggett…….……Mother, understudy for Jane

Andrew Cooley…….…..Kerchak

Jessica Rentz……….…...Kala

Steven Sutcliffe…….…..Young Tarzan, understudy for Porter

Rebekah Sutcliffe……..Young Terk

Naomi Winders………..Terk

Bronson Stewart……...Tarzan

Rheanon Williams…….Jane

Luke Johnson……………Porter, understudy for Tarzan

Ian Duffy…………………..Clayton

Noah Valadez……………Snipes

Grace Eldridge………….Leopard

Savannah Fager………..Gorilla, understudy for Kala

Eli Cooley………………….Gorilla, understudy for young Tarzan

Charlie Rentz……………Gorilla, understudy for Young Terk

Elizabeth Coleman……Gorilla

Kobe Kramer……………Gorilla

Aydan Pavia-Jones……Expedition Crew Member

Isaac Cooley……………..Expedition Crew member

Joe Pavia-Jones………...Expedition Crew member

Hayley Pritchett……….Gorilla

Rebecca Hall…………….Gorilla

Hannah Holtz…………..Gorilla

Emily Markee…………..Gorilla

Isabella Graham………Gorilla

Kristina Jean……………Gorilla

Sadie Pead……………….Gorilla

Grace McDonald………Gorilla

Jordan Julich……………Gorilla

Emerald Babbitt…….. Gorilla

Katelyn Hoage………….Gorilla

Emma Clark……………..Gorilla

Tyler Eldridge………….Gorilla

Jade Price………………..Gorilla

Annika Maher………….Gorilla

Sierra Wake…………….Gorilla

Stage Manager- Alexis Kerst

Contact editor Matt Hickman at 352-2268 or matt.hickman@frontiersman.com